Today is another of my series of questions from readers and writers. Anyone can ask a question for the blog, just post it as a comment in any blog I've written or as a message here at MySpace. I'll answer them in the order I receive them. Today's question is from Jessica:.

Where do you get your character names from?

Actually I use a wonderful resource called Names Through the Ages by Teresa Norman. I love this book because it lists names that were popular in different regions of the world during different times. Plus, it lists the meanings of names and has a special section for surnames, too. I think it might be out of print now, but you should be able to easily find one used for a reasonable price (I think Amazon has it or $15ish, Abebooks has it under $20).

Another resource I use is a printout of the names of the members of the House of Lords that I downloaded via Wikipedia. I don’t use real names, but it does give me a starting place, a jumping off point.

Really it just comes down to not yanking the reader out of the story because a name doesn’t “right”. Especially in a historical romance.

So I hope that helps!